To Catch a Raven by Beverly Jenkins (Pre-Review)

 

 

 4.5 Stars! Historical Romance

Releases August 23, 2022

 

It’s amazing how much this book felt more like watching a good movie than reading. From start to finish I was intrigued and could visualize every color, fabric, and emotion. The book painted the story for me so that I was more like an observer in the room watching it unfold. This shouldn’t surprise me. This is Beverly Jenkins after all, and she is fantastic. Period. If you aren’t familiar with her books then you should be.

Since To Catch a Raven hasn’t been released yet I can’t give my full review but I definitely recommend that you put it on your to be read list. This author’s historical romances never fail to deliver. While it isn’t perfect or my favorite book by BJ, it maintains a high bar of excellence nonetheless. The characters are definitely a plus. Especially Raven who isn’t your average female lead by any means. Alright now. I have to mention Braxton too. I just love a male character who’s effortlessly and deliciously sexy. Stay tuned for my in-depth review (with no spoilers of course). 4.5 out of 5 stars!

A Champion's Heart: Born to Win Men by Piper Huguley

Released: Dec. 2016

BW/BM

Historical

Rating: 5-star

Piper Huguley is one of my favorite authors and she doesn't disappoint with this her latest historical romance. A Champion's Heart tells the story of Delie and Champion. Fans of Ms. Huguley and her Migrations of the Heart series (A Virtuous Ruby, A Most Precious Pearl, and A Treasure of Gold) will recognize Delie as one of the younger Bledsoe sisters from the fictional town of Winslow, Georgia. At this stage of the family saga, Cordelia "Delie" Bledsoe is all grown up. Unlike her older sisters, Delie has never left Winslow. Instead, she remains at her family home, brokenhearted and caring for a group of mostly abandoned children alongside her sister Emerald (Em). Seven years ago, an engaged Delie was left behind without a word by Champion, the man she intended to marry. Champion has since become a boxer and he's preparing to fight the most important fights of his life. One of which is to regain the forgiveness, trust, and affection of the love of his life. Unfortunately, both Champion and Delie harbor secrets that could prevent them from having their happily ever after.

A Treasure of Gold by Piper Huguley

Published: November 2015

Character diversity?: African-American main couple

Rating: 4 stars

Available @ Amazon:

This is the third book in Migrations of the Heart series, which centers around an African-American family from a town called Winslow in Georgia. Unlike previous books in the series, A Treasure of Gold takes place entirely in Pittsburgh, giving the story a fresh sense of place. As always, Piper Huguley's writing is powerfully beautiful and intriguing as it transports me back in time.

A Most Precious Pearl by Piper Huguley

Published: September 8, 2015

Pages: 218

Publisher: Samhain

Diversity: AA

*I Received a Copy of This Book in Exchange for a Fair and Honest Review*

A Most Precious Pearl is a historical romance that takes place in the time period following WWI. It is the second book in the Migrations of the Heart series. A majority of the story takes place in a town named Winslow, which people who have read A Virtuous Ruby are familiar with. In fact, if you've read the series thus far you'll be familiar with not only the town, but also the Bledsoe Family and Paul Winslow, the founder of the town.  I highly recommend reading A Virtuous Ruby before starting A Most Precious Pearl. While it is possible to start out of order, there are many important events that take place in the first book. These events will deepen your understanding of what takes place in this story (Besides it's a darn good book!).

A Virtuous Ruby by Piper Huguley

A Virtuous Ruby is a book that has a striking cover and an equally striking story. When I started to read this book, I couldn't put it down. It covers so many things  - love, betrayal, shame, pride, strength, acceptance, and forgiveness. The characters feel organic, beautifully fleshed out and formed from their life's circumstances such as race and skin color, environment, and social standing. As I read A Virtuous Ruby, I found myself holding my breath on some scenes and pondering how I would have personally reacted or behaved in others.

The story takes place in 1915 Georgia, in a town named Winslow. The town is named after the white owner of the mill where many of the African-American residents work. The mill doesn't pay well and generally has poor working conditions. Because this is 1915 Georgia, the good people of Winslow aren't about to rock the boat. With the exception of Ruby that is.

Under Cover of Stardust by H.R. Kitte- Rojas

Have you ever read a book and you can't for the life of you figure out why it isn't more popular than it is? This is one of those books. Maybe it is the uninspiring cover?  Whatever it is, well it's a shame. This is such a great book, and I want to recommend it right from the beginning of this review rather than wait until the end. This is the only WWII I/R romance that I've read and boy does it have it all. I was captivated, caught up in the suspense, and action of it. I held my breath in some parts, gasped in others, cheered and ranted.

The story begins in the 1980s. A young African-American reporter is in France covering the 40th anniversary of D-Day. There she meets an older French woman at a cafe who happens to also be black. As they watch aging soldiers celebrate and share memories of the war, a song is played that has the eldest of the two women misty-eyed with memories. Her name is Veronique and she offers to tell the young reporter her story. The book

Talk Sweetly to Me by Courtney Milan

Talk Sweetly to Me is the story of a womanizing journalist named Stephen and his mathematical genus neighbor Rose. When I say Rose is a genius, I mean exactly that. She works as a human computer for her boss and has a love of astronomy during a time when it is still very much a man's world. Oh, and did I mention that she is also a black woman living in 1882? Stephen is a typical rake, who loves women and they love him back. He's attracted to Rose, her intelligence and sweet demeanor. In his efforts to seduce her, Stephen manages to get Rose to act as a tutor (with a clueless chaperon in tow of course). Stephen is Irish Catholic and he a white man, which adds to her hesitancy regarding interaction between them considering the time period that they live in.

Filthy Lucre by Sharon Cullars

Filthy Lucre is a historical romance written by author Sharon Cullars. When I start reading a book by Ms. Cullars I do so with a certain expectation of quality. I'm pleased to say that in reading Filthy Lucre I wasn't disappointed. The author's writing style and ability stands out like a shiny star. In this, her latest book, the story takes place in the 1930s and begins with the robbery of a local store. This won't be the only robbery that takes place in the book, but it is important to events that take place later in the story. During the robbery we are introduced to Teddy Holliday. Teddy, which is short for Theodora, is a single African-American woman who lives alone in her family home (where she occasionally rents out a room for extra money) in Joplin. During the robbery, Teddy's money is stolen and she heads home empty handed. A surprise drives up to her door in the form of a white man named Louis Daniels. Louis needs a room to rent and pays her handsomely for three days. In need of money, and against her better judgement in being a single black woman alone in a house with a single white man, Teddy rents out her room. Each recognizes that there is a dangerous attraction between them and they get to know a little about one another over the first night while sharing pie, meals, music, and the same home. Unfortunately  things aren't what they seem with Louis and his reasons for being in town. He's expecting company, bad company, and soon Teddy finds herself a hostage in her own home.

The Preacher's Promise by Piper Huguley

The Preacher's Promise is a very sweet story that takes place following the Civil War. During this time African Americans in the South are finding themselves with new freedoms and opportunities that they have never had before; however, they are still living under the prejudice of the South. This is the case in the town of Milford. The town has sent a missive to the North requesting a teacher (their first) for the new school house that is being built. Unbeknownst to them, the man who they've reached out to has recently passed away and his daughter Amanda, who is college educated herself , has decided to answer the call. She is in a bad situation as

Chained by Elise Marion

Two things drew me to this book - #1 an amazing cover and #2 the hope for a well written historical romance featuring people of color. What kept me reading was the fact that it had an actual STORY and characters that weren't just there for the sake of sex or an unbelievable and instant "love." There's a lot to like about this book...

For Love & Liberty: Untold Love Stories of the American Revolution by Alyssa Cole, Lena Hart, Kate McMurray, and Staey Agdern

For Love & Liberty is an anthology set during the Revolutionary War. It is unique in that it is not only culturally diverse, but also features a m/m storyline. Typically Revolutionary War romances only tell the story of one type of couple, so initially this intrigued me. There are four stories featured in this anthology. In the first story entitled Be Not Afraid we have a love story with a hero who is a slave fighting as a Patriot and a heroine who is a runaway slave who has decided to take her chances with the British and their offer of freedom away from America. The second novella is A Sweet Surrender and the hero is a British soldier who is nursed back to health secretly by the heroine who is a Native American/African woman. The third story, Rebels at Heart, is a m/m story about an ex-slave and an eccentric American man who masquerades as a British man of wealth. The final short called Home, is the story of a young Jewish couple who are faced with war days before they are to marry and the choices that they must make for their future.

Goddess, by Chanta Jefferson Rand

Ayana is an Egyptian princess who is considered a goddess by her people due to a marking on her inner thigh which marks her as a gift from the sun god. Ayana's no goddess, but she is the spoiled daughter of a pharaoh and his Nubian queen (Pharaoh's Desire is the first book and tells the story of her parents). Ayana hasn't found a man to her liking so her father has arranged a marriage to a Syrian general. As the book begins, she and her grandmother are on their way to meet the general when they are overrun by bandits. The bandits kidnap